Traveler, trail runner, trekker

I’m an easygoing, adventurous guy who loves trekking, exploring nature, visiting countries and having good laughs with people.

I’ve been to 90 countries and counting.

Follow my travels in IG: @shervin_travels

I’m born and raised in New York City, and my family is from Iran.

I currently live in Hong Kong where I work as a teacher and compete in ultramarathons.

I take breaks between my contracts and travel as much as I can.

I love mountains and volcanos, and a lot of my travels revolve around that.

But I also enjoy exploring a bustling bazaar or an old neighborhood in a city and seeing what hidden gems I can find.

For me the most special thing about traveling is connecting with people around the world, learning from them, and having an exchange of cultures, positivity and kindness.

I love learning those niche fun facts about cultures and countries than you can’t find on the internet.

I believe kindness brings kindness in return so I try to be the first to put out positive vibes.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

For me couchsurfing sums up what I love the most about traveling: meeting strangers around the world and realizing that most people in the world want the same things: peace, economic prosperity, to spend time with friends and family, and pursue their dreams.
Even the most brief encounters can be memorable and have an impact on our lives. So let’s try to make the most of all of them.
So many times I’ve had experiences through Couchsurfing that I didn’t even think would happen. I love the spontaneity of it.

Interests

I love to travel, but especially to less explored, parts of the world. My favorite regions are Latin America, the Middle East and recently Central Asia.

I love trail running and hiking.

I really like taking portraits but I’m sometimes shy to ask.

I have a really bad sweet tooth. Middle eastern sweets are my weakness. If there’s a delicious local sweet I’ll break my diet over it.

• writing
• photography
• indian food
• traveling
• latin music
• rock climbing
• tennis
• international relations
• journalism
• hitchhiking
• travel
• trekking
• latin america
• travel writing
• indian music
• football(soccer)
• trekking and camping
• bollywood

Music, Movies, and Books

Before Sunrise, Casablanca, Doctor Zivago, Titanic, Gone with the Wind, The Beach, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo....

Im also a fan of Bollywood action movies. They’re quite something!

My favorite books are: Shantaram, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, All of Dan Brown's books, The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns, Motorcycle Diaries,

I absolutely love regeatton and Latin music in general (the trashier the better 🤷🏽‍♂️), plus Bollywood songs, and the occasional Arabic pop songs, especially Soolking (Algerian singer)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I finished third place in my first 100 km ultramarathon.

I summited a 6,000 meter peak in Pakistan

I watched an active volcano erupting while camping at Volcano Acatenango in Guatemala

I slept for free in a gay brothel in Havana (I’m not gay)

I kissed a llama at Machu Picchu 😅

I was the first e-visa holder to cross the land border to Libya from Tunisia.

I don’t know if this is amazing or just stupid but I hitchhiked through militia territory in Libya and got handcuffed and held at gun point.

I almost got kidnapped in Bolivia and managed to get released because they got afraid of my Iranian ethnicity (gotta love the terrorist stereotypes lol)

Teach, Learn, Share

I can share with you many great travel stories and I’m fairly knowledgeable about Middle East geopolitics.

My family is from Iran and Persian cuisine is quite delicious, if I may say so myself. I’d be happy to try to cook something if you want. Sometimes it’s hard to find all the ingredients in different countries and I’m not the best cook but I’ll try my best.

I am a budget traveler and I can give you tips on how to travel cheaply to the places I’ve been to. I tend to be good at finding tips and tricks that most people don’t think of.

If you want to visit Iran I can help out and even arrange friends to host you. If I’m there of course I’ll host you myself.

I’d be happy to host people in Hong Kong when I go back in August.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I’m an easygoing, positive guy who likes to bring good vibes and smiles a lot.

I can help out with anything you need around the house and give you advice and contacts for your travels to Hong Kong, the USA or Iran.

I usually try to bring a small gift for my hosts too—like a magnet.

I can make a Persian omelet, although my cooking is not the best

Countries I’ve Visited

Afghanistan, Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russian Federation, Scotland, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Guatemala, Hong Kong, Iran, South Korea, United States